The present invention relates to a support stand for a portable tool.
Portable bending brakes and other tools are generally either placed on a table or are placed on support stands that support the portable bending brake at a convenient working height. Prior art support stands include conference table type legs or specially designed support stands. Conference table legs are inexpensive but may break if improperly handled. Conference table legs are also relatively unstable, especially when forces are applied in a side to side, or longitudinal, direction.
One example of another type of prior art support stand is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,582,055 that discloses a support stand having a stabilizing assembly secured to conference table legs. While this design provides a measure of front to rear stability, it is still relatively unstable in the longitudinal, or side to side, direction. These and other support stand designs can be difficult to retrofit to different types of bending brakes and may be difficult to set up.
Conference table legs and other prior art support stands are not easily detachable from the portable bending brake or other tool and therefore add to the weight of the brake or tool, making it harder to carry or move from location to location. Support stands that are not detached from the brake or tool are typically folded to the body of the bending brake or tool and add to the bulk of the bending brake or tool.
These and other disadvantages and problems associated with prior art support stands for portable bending brakes or tools are addressed and resolved by Applicant""s invention as summarized below.
According to the present invention a lightweight, sturdy and economical support stand is provided for portable bending brakes or tools. The support stand of the present invention is easy to assemble to a brake and may be retrofit to different styles of brakes or tools. A longitudinal bar connects the front legs and may be stood upon to provide front to rear stability.
In further accordance with the present invention a support stand for a portable brake is provided that has front and rear legs that are pivotally connected to each other on both sides of the brake with the upper ends of the front and rear legs being connected to rear and front rails of the brake, respectively. The bottom ends of the front legs are connected to a longitudinally extending bar. The bottom ends of the rear legs are provided with feet. Diagonally extending rear braces tie the rear legs to the brake.
A support stand for other types of tools, such as a saw table or slitter, may be provided that has front and rear legs on right and left sides of the tool. Each of the front and rear legs are pivotally connected to each other at an intermediate point on the legs. Each of the front and rear legs are connected on their upper ends to a plate. Two plates are preferably provided with one plate being attached to each of the right and left sides of the tool. Alternatively, instead of two plates, a single platform could be provided that is adapted to receive the upper ends of the front and rear legs on both right and left sides of the platform. The bottom ends of the front and rear legs are provided with feet. Diagonally extending rear braces tie the rear legs to the tool or platform and enhance side-to-side stability.
To facilitate assembly and disassembly, the front and rear legs are detachably connected on their top end to the plates or platform. The rear braces are detachably connected on their outer ends to the rear legs and are connected on their inner ends to a central portion of the tool or platform. The lower ends of the front legs may be pivotally connected to the longitudinally extending bar. The detachable connections use quick connect type pins that may be simply pulled out to detach the legs from the brake and detach the braces from the rear legs.
Plates are secured between the front and rear brake rails on which the brake is assembled. The plates include brackets for receiving the upper ends of the front and rear legs. The upper ends of the front and rear legs are connected to the brackets by means of quick connect pins. Alternatively, if a platform is provided for a tool the upper ends of the legs may be connected to brackets that are attached to the platform. The brackets may have a plurality of holes for receiving the quick connect pins wherein the height of the platform or tool may be changed by simply changing the holes that receive the quick connect pins.
The braces may be disconnected from the rear legs and may be pivoted to a stored position in which the braces are generally parallel to the rear brake rail or rear edge of the platform of a tool stand. In the stored position, the braces are flush with the bottom of the brake or tool to facilitate loading and transporting the brake or tool.
When the front and rear legs are detached from the brake or platform, the rear legs may be pivoted to a parallel position relative to the front legs. To make the legs and longitudinal bar easier to carry it may be further broken down by detaching the front legs from the longitudinal bar in the portable bending brake embodiment or, if it is easier for the operator, the front legs and rear legs may be left attached to the longitudinal bar after the front and rear legs are detached from the brake. The front and rear legs pivot to a position where they are parallel to the longitudinal bar for compact transportation and storage.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be better understood upon review of the attached drawings and in light of the following detailed description of the invention.